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arXiv · 2601.13098

Exploring the Impacts of Background Noise on Auditory Stimuli of Audio-Visual eHMIs for Hearing, Deaf, and Hard-of-Hearing People

Wenge Xu·Foroogh Hajiseyedjavadi·Debargha Dey·Tram Thi Minh Tran·Mark Colley
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Abstract

External Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) have been proposed to enhance communication between automated vehicles (AVs) and pedestrians, with growing interest in multi-modal designs such as audio-visual eHMIs. Just as poor lighting can impair visual cues, a loud background noise may mask the auditory stimuli. However, its effects within these systems have not been examined, and little is known about how pedestrians -- particularly Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) people -- perceive different types of auditory stimuli. We conducted a virtual reality study (Hearing N=25, DHH N=11) to examine the effects of background noise (quiet and loud) on auditory stimuli (baseline, bell, speech) within an audio-visual eHMI. Results revealed that: (1) Crossing experiences of DHH pedestrians significantly differ from Hearing pedestrians. (2) Loud background noise adversely affects pedestrians' crossing experiences. (3) Providing an additional auditory eHMI (bell/speech) improves crossing experiences. We outlined four practical implications for future eHMI design and research.

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Wenge Xu, Foroogh Hajiseyedjavadi, Debargha Dey, Tram Thi Minh Tran, Mark Colley. 2026-01-19. Exploring the Impacts of Background Noise on Auditory Stimuli of Audio-Visual eHMIs for Hearing, Deaf, and Hard-of-Hearing People. https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3791557

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